So, you moved to another country and built your nest there. You pay your taxes, buy local products, your kids form part of the local education system, in other words, you are a part of local economy and society. With some tinny tiny differences, but still. You have even made friends with natives.
And then, that beautiful period comes when all the billboards of the town you live in are covered in semi smiling, semi serious faces of locals who want to represent you. Yes, even you, because, even though you are not one of “theirs”, you are still a part of the community. And democracy says that everybody’s equal.
Of course, you follow the political situation back home, and you have a clear attitude and opinion about it. After all, it is close to you and forms part of your background. But now, you already know enough about your not-so-new environment to be able to choose, or at least try to, since you know that election results will influence your life.
And then you start to read deeper in the electoral pamphlets, listen to debates and inform yourself about your options. Even though you may not have been born here, you feel that you are equal and expect the same treatment. This is the exact moment you get a reality knock-out (reality check is too mild a term for this). You realise that you, and people like you, are always put apart – you are part of the statistics on how many new immigrants came, how many are integrated, how many are in jails, how many take active part in the political life, how many are entrepreneurs, all kinds of statistics. And it is ok for a state, or a political party to do that – statistics show trends. But in the context of a political battle for power, immigrants become a direct or indirect tool. Political parties distract the audience from looking at the actual problems and providing realistic solutions in many subtle and clever ways. One of them is to draw attention to the newcomers, “The Others”. That’s how immigrants become tools in the power struggle.
Usually in the moments of crisis, this resonates more. If there are problems, it is easier to find somebody to blame, instead of rolling your sleeves and working on solutions. I am not saying that all political parties use immigrants and immigrant statistics for this. I AM saying that it is wrong, as long as states are states to all people living in them, and democracy is democracy for all, not a birth right.
So, after you have been sick and tired of the whole ordeal, you go to the voting post and vote for the Greens. At least you know what they stand for.
Jobstealer 